Paleontologist Howard Beamish is flying to Nairobi when his plane is forced to land in Callimbia. Journalist Lucy Faulkner, on assignment to write a travel piece for a Sunday magazine, is on the same flight. What happens to Howard and Lucy in Callimbia is one of those accidents that determine fate, that bring love and take away joy, and that reveal the precariousness of our existence.

With intelligence, grace, and gentle irony, Penelope Lively illuminates the age-old dance of myth and reality in a novel sparkling with wit, humor, and keen insight into the storytelling faculty of the human mind.

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Listener Opinions

by Lynn | 12/21/2013

" verbose. redundant. dense. I made it to page 19. disappointed. "

by Kjirsten | 12/13/2013

" This book was hard to get into. "

by Linda | 11/23/2013

" Excellent - really enjoyed storyline "

by Shion | 11/1/2013

" Actually, I would give it 2 1/2 stars but it's a book club book so maybe I'll end up upping the rating after discussing it. Some of the book may have gone over my head :) "

" I really liked this. You see the development of the two main characters leading up to their eventful meeting. In between there are rather funny chapters telling the history of the fictional country where they are destined to meet. It wasn't a masterwork but it was very pleasurable reading. "

Sherelyn Ernst | 9/9/2013

" This is well-written nothing. I expected much better. The first part got me interested in the characters, impressed by the writing, and intrigued by the conceit--Cleopatra had a sister who ruled the neighboring country of Callimbia --and then went nowhere. What a waste of time. "

Ellen Snyder | 5/6/2013

" Not my favorite Lively, but enjoyable in its way. I liked the way the romance grew between the protagonists, like in other Lively stories, by chance. "

Caitlin | 11/26/2012

" Great descriptions and wonderful character insight, but rather cliched ending. Still, I probably wouldn't have been happy with anything more "realistic," so I suppose I shouldn't complain. "

Tobyh | 11/3/2012

" I found this book very entertaining, and enjoyed to read it. Although it started of slowly for me, I was hooked by the end of it. I found the combination of thrill, politics, and human emotions captivating. Also, I must acknowledge the beautiful language used by Penelope Lively. "

Dee | 9/30/2012

" A group of people held hostage from a hijacked plane realize truths about themselves. "

Melissa | 9/20/2012

" Nice story and well researched historical fiction that I read for my book club. Not sure it is a realistic ending but I enjoyed the book. "

Other Titles by Penelope Lively:

About the Author

Penelope Lively was born in 1933 in Cairo and spent her childhood there, going to England in the last year of the Second World War. She holds a degree in modern history from Oxford University and is the author of nine novels, three volumes of short stories, and many books for children. Her novel Moon Tiger won the prestigious Booker Prize in England. She lives in North Oxfordshire and London.

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